Yoga and its Relation to Health

1194 Words3 Pages

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. There is an estimated 11 million Americans enjoying the health benefits of yoga. Though few people even know why. Most people think it’s just “Stretching”, But very few ever really stops to think about the health benefits of yoga. So let’s look at a few of these shall we?
Some of the most commonly talked about benefits of yoga are the all-around fitness, weight loss, Stress relief, inner peace, improved immunity, living with greater awareness, better relationships, increased energy, better flexibility and posture, better intuition, increased lubrication of the joints ligaments and tendons, massages all of the organs in the body, complete detoxification, excellent toning of the muscles, reduced heart rate and blood pressure, increased lung function, helps with conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, it has also shown positive effects on levels of certain brain and blood chemicals.
So Besides the spiritual goals, the asana of yoga are used to reduce or get rid of health problems reduce stress and make the spine supple. In current times yoga is also used as a complete exercise program and physical therapy routine.
The focus of yoga is on calm mindfulness, controlled breathing along with physical movement bringing with it benefits with regular practice. As most people are aware of Yogis sleep better with increased energy levels, and muscle tone, release of muscle pain and stiffness, improves circulation and over all better health. But few people know the breathing aspect of yoga can benefit heart rate and blood pressure. Three main focuses of Hatha Yoga are exercise, breathing and meditation. Making it a great choice for people suffering from hea...

... middle of paper ...

.... Yes there is some out there that say yoga is just stretching but those people are only partially right. Yoga unites mind, body and soul so it is obvious it can be used to treat mental and physical conditions. So there for yoga is so much more than most people perceive. Personally yoga has helped me out allot I use to have depression, anxiety, sleep problems and lower back pain. Yes I know I use to be a mess lol. One day I decided to try yoga and my life has been changed ever since. I no longer have any of these problems and I thank yoga for it.

Resources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11832673 http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/the-health-benefits-of-yoga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatha_Yoga#Health_benefits_ascribed_to_yogasana_practice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga#Medicine

Show More
Related

  • Describing the Interaction of the Components of the Autonomic Nervous System in a Relation to the Stress Response

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical hypotheses, 78(5), 571-579.

    Read More

  • College Admissions Essay: Aunt Joan and Yoga

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.

    Read More

  • The Negative Speech: Yoga And Meditation

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hatha yoga enhances the capacity of the physical body through the use of a series of body postures, movements, and breathing techniques.

    Read More

  • Concentrative Meditation Essay

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aerobic exercise is anything exercise that elevates the respiration, heart and metalobic rate for 20-30 minutes. Aerobic exercises include running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling. Stretching and toning exercises are slow and sustained, they decrease muscle tension, improve circulation, can help relax the body, they also help focus and center the mind in the present moment. Yoga is a good example of a balanced stretching and toning program, and there is increasing evidence that yoga has psychological and well as physiological benefits. Yoga can be compared to progressive muscle relaxation where a muscle is tensed and relaxed systematically through out the body to produce relaxation response which decreases stress and tension, increases strength and balance, increases flexibility, lowers blood pressure and reduces cortisol levels (Thirthalli et al., 2013; Weiten et al., 2012), it improves psychological well-being, yoga involves concentrating on the breath and body which calms the mind by switching focus away from worries of the mind and brings the person into the present moment, rather than on the past or future. It also increases bodily awareness so the feelings of tension and stress are recognised earlier and can be reduced sooner, yoga it self is exercise and so the usual benefits of exercise are gained too (‘The psychological

    Read More

  • The Hottest Workout: Bikram Yoga

    2076 Words  | 5 Pages

    Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).

    Read More

  • yoga

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyday society assumes yoga is just a physical health practice that will make people substantially fit. Social media is making people believe that Yoga is mostly good for exercising in a social, trendy fashion environment. What society does not know is Yoga plays a huge role in emotional hygiene, more so than physical health, Yoga develops a healthy emotional stability for its participants that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Emotionally, Yoga can develop a healthy emotional lifestyle for its participants while leaving a person with more positivity, determination and strength in the human mind.

    Read More

  • Essay On Origin Of Yoga

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    They noticed that the conditions related to their muscular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and the digestive system improved notably. It has been studied and suggested that regular practice of Yoga increases the brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid levels which helps in regulating the excitability of the nervous system and muscle tone as well. This helps in reducing anxiety and improving mood functions, letting people lead much more emotionally balanced lives. Apart from the abovementioned advantages, yoga also helps in keeping cardiovascular diseases in check. The three principles of yoga: asana (exercise), pranayama (breathing), and drishti (meditation) help in monitoring heart activities and keeping it functioning healthily. It does so by reducing blood pressure, speeding up recovery related to heart failures or cardiac arrests, and lower other cardiovascular risk factors that some people might have genetically imbibed in them. Similarly, it helps people with chronic back aches. Regular practice of yoga can bring relief over a period of time, than medications alone. Pain medications for back ache or spine-related spasms generally have dangerous side effects such as gastric problems, nausea, and the relief they provide last for a very short period of time. Yoga on the other hand gives back pain sufferers a much necessary relief through stretching exercises and also by meditating which plays a major role in alleviating any kind of

    Read More

  • Taking a Closer Look at Yoga

    1562 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...al appearance of the body. Resulting in a healthy pregnancy with fewer complications during labor. Yoga also keeps the body looking toned for a sexy look. Yoga is a great stress reliever during pregnancy and also a great way to keep in touch with the spiritual side. You can perform yoga anywhere you want. Yoga can be done from the beach to the living room of your house. There are various types of yoga techniques that help you identify the yoga that is best for you. From advanced fast pace yoga that involves lounges and push-ups to slow pace yoga. Breathing techniques are learned and also taught how to connect with muscles around the pelvic area and also how to relax them when going into labor. Yoga also helps the body after pregnancy to bounce back quickly afterward giving birth. Which is a great advantage for women who want to get back their bodies before pregnancy.

    Read More

  • Benefits of Yoga

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.

    Read More

  • Yoga: A Comprehensive System for Well-being

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    Therefore a person must develop stress management skills to maintain their own stability and yoga can be a part of the solution. In the book, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, by Cyndi Lee, the author talks about fight-or-flight, a condition where the body relates to emergencies then responds by activating the adrenal glands allow the heart to pump quicker, raise blood pressure, increase muscle tension, and produce sweat. However, if you are constantly in a fight-or-flight mode then it leads to stress. Health problems can arise from not learning how to balance good stress which can have survival value and bad stress that can lead to insomnia, headaches, and even more serious conditions such as heart attacks (Lee

    Read More

  • Yoga and its Positive Effects on the Mind and Body

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...

    Read More

  • The Health Benefits of Yoga

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Breathing acts as a motor, and it helps prana flow through the body (The Magic of. Meditation). There are thousands of different varieties of yoga, which is how it helps a large number of people in a diverse number of ways. One style is called Ananda. This yoga gains control over delicate energies in the body.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Health And Wellness

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    The goal of this study was to identify the ways in which engaging in yoga practices would alter psychological well being, and allow people to engage more fully in their lives and flourish in health and happiness. The pre and post test set up of this study allowed the researchers to see the ways in which students had been affected by their participation in the yoga teacher training. Yoga training students were engaged in a four week program. They were administered tests and the beginning of the study, prior to engaging in the program, at the end of the program, after completion, and then again at a 3 month follow up. Multiple factors were assessed, however the significant and important ones which relate directly to our understanding of healthy, happiness and wellness and the course content are extremely

    Read More

  • Yoga Reflection Paper

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha

    Read More

  • Benefits and Disadvantages of Being Part of a Team Sport

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yoga also improves your alignment, both in and out of class, which helps prevent many other types of pain. The exercises in yoga focus on posture whilst sitting or standing, and these really can prevent back pain or injuries.

    Read More

More about Yoga and its Relation to Health

Open Document